Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Bacau

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacau: $913 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Bacau
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Bacau Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Bacau

🇷🇴 Romania

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Bacau

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nosara and in Bacau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $913 in Bacau, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Bacau $913

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,548 in Bacau, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Bacau $1,548

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,182 in Bacau, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Bacau $2,182

Nosara costs about 101% more than Bacau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Bacau is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$14.05 RON 66.5

-12.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$85.1 RON 402

-28.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.39 RON 34.96

1.76%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.98 RON 9.37

122.73%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ₡780

$1.94 RON 9.16

-10.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.90 RON 8.97

-31.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.48 RON 11.75

32.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.16 RON 14.96

41.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.22 RON 5.76

27.87%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.65 RON 3.09

364.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.64 RON 7.74

53.05%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.39 RON 16.03

5.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$7.79 RON 36.87

-4.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$5.43 RON 25.67

93.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$8.42 RON 39.86

65.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.14 RON 5.41

106.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.49 RON 7.06

8.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.55 RON 7.32

209.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.74 RON 8.24

-7.47%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.72 RON 3.43

427.78%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.65 RON 3.07

467.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.76 RON 3.59

48.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.68 RON 3.23

291.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$5.47 RON 25.87

-5.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.08 RON 24.02

291.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.94 RON 4.46

208.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.22 RON 5.78

197.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.74 RON 3.51

51.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$29.14 RON 138

149.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.62 RON 2.92

245.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.67 RON 3.17

134.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$7.08 RON 33.51

20.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.80 RON 8.50

-15.56%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$28.9K RON 136.6K

-25.16%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$24.9K RON 117.9K

38.58%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$106 RON 502

-9.29%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$7.51 RON 35.53

377.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$4.83 RON 22.86

1009.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$25.72 RON 122

178.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$15.83 RON 74.9

120.53%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$6.44 RON 30.45

22.52%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$494 ₡221.6K

$591 RON 2,794

-16.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$4,858 RON 23.0K

144.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$82.9 RON 392

-34.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$31.49 RON 149

75.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$59.6 RON 282

30.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$83.6 RON 395

-4.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$400 RON 1,891

97.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$235 RON 1,113

237.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$546 RON 2,584

621.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$399 RON 1,889

255.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,818 RON 8,604

280.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,199 RON 5,673

2.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$933 RON 4,415

-7.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.97

23.67%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bacau: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Bacau

$235 25.8% 70.4% $559

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Bacau

$176 19.3% 50% $176

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Bacau

$192 21.1% 9.2% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Bacau

$118 13% 36.2% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Bacau

$116 12.7% 3.5% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Bacau

$39 4.2% 55.8% $49

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Bacau

$36 4% 58.6% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $400 in Bacau. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 8% higher in Bacau, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $85.0 in Bacau. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $176 in Bacau – so Bacau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇷🇴 Bacau

🕒 Local time

16:41 4:41 PM

01:41 1:41 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

144,307

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Bacau 10,860 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Bacau

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Nosara vs Bacau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 101%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,369 in Bacau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bacau, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $85.0 in Bacau. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $913 in Bacau. That's a gap of about 101%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bacau, where all-in costs run around $913, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Bacau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bacau – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Bacau. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.